By Carol Britton Meyer

“History is repeating itself” when it comes to the MBTA’s ferry leaving passengers on the dock in Hull due to a lack of space onboard, according to Hull Village resident Randy Gould.

Town officials, local legislators, and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, which operates the service, say they are working toward finding a resolution to this recurring issue with the Hingham-Hull-Boston boat service.

In an Aug. 27 email to the MBTA, Hull and Hingham officials, legislators, and the Times, Gould outlined the scenario that took place last Sunday. According to Gould, the 12:20 p.m. ferry out of Hull, which leaves Hingham at noon, left 40 people stranded at Pemberton Pier.

This issue has been ongoing for a number of years, as evidenced by copies of three August 2019 emails from Gould to many of the same recipients listed above that were included in his recent email, detailing “another weekend left on the dock” on three occasions – Aug. 10, 11, and 24 of that year. Others in town have complained about similar experiences.

State Rep. Joan Meschino, a Hull resident, and Hull’s elected officials say they are pressuring the MBTA to resolve this frustrating issue.

“The town will always advocate for its citizens with the MBTA, and we actively do. The problem here is the T,” select board Chair Greg Grey said. “We all see it daily in the news. They are certainly struggling in all directions. We will continue to do our best to speak with everyone that we can to help out with the issues, but in the end it will be their job to get things straightened out.”

Meschino said her office has heard from numerous other Hull residents who are frustrated about not being able to use weekend ferry service into Boston, and has reached out to the MBTA.

In response to an inquiry from The Hull Times, MBTA Communications Director Joe Pesaturo said the transit authority understands this is a “frustrating and inconvenient experience for passengers,” but said there are no larger boats to make the run.

“We, unfortunately, do not own any vessels with a higher passenger capacity, and our service provider does not have any other vessels available during the peak boating season,” Pesaturo said. “In the short term, we are limited by the number of available vessels. We apologize for any inconvenience that this has caused to passengers. We are committed to providing reliable and accessible public transportation, and we will continue to work to improve the service across our system.”

Pesaturo said the other vessels of the summer ferry operator – Hornblower Group, which purchased Boston Harbor Cruises in 2019 –are being used for whale watches, harbor cruises, and other events to meet the summer tourist demand.

“The vessels that serve this route have a capacity limit of 149 passengers, and in the past month or so, we have been experiencing higher than normal ridership on weekends,” Pesaturo said. “We are aware that this has resulted in some passengers being left behind, and we are in the process of monitoring the market for any vessels that will have a higher passenger capacity. We are also working with our service provider to develop solutions that can be implemented in the future.”

Adrian Muir, who owns the Shipwreck’d restaurant and take-out near the ferry ramp in Pemberton Point with his wife, Susie Regan and is president of the Hull Nantasket Chamber of Commerce, observed what occurred last weekend.

“This has been happening all summer, typically on weekends, but not always,” he said. “It’s unfortunate that this is occurring at a time when people are being encouraged to find alternative transportation due to the temporary closure of the Sumner Tunnel.”

Muir noted that the Feast of St. Anthony in Boston’s North End, which attracts large crowds, took place last Sunday, and apparently the number of extra riders heading for that event over the water “overwhelmed the ferries.”

While a few stranded would-be ferry passengers have stopped in at Shipwreck’d for a bite to eat while waiting for the next ferry, there’s a downside, Muir explained.

“We mostly get negative feedback from displaced riders, because no ferry schedule has been posted in the ferry wait building for a couple of years,” he said. “If we don’t have the current one handy, their response isn’t always pleasant. [Some displaced riders] don’t seem to realize that we can’t stop serving our customers and help them find a taxi, which is a request we get often. It’s almost impossible to get an Uber to go to the end of Hull due to the distance, the number of traffic lights, and the heavy summer traffic.”

Gould said the problem is not new this year.

“As one can see from the old e-mails, this has been going on for a few years now. COVID curtailed it for two, but the ferry started up again last year,” he said. “With the good weather this summer, it is back in full swing.”

While Hingham has a problem with some people being left at the dock, a ferry is available to them with greater frequency, which is not the case in Hull, according to Gould.

“If you look at the schedule, the ferry stops at Georges Island four times a day and Hull five times a day, while Hingham has a boat every hour,” he said.

The main problem is the midday ferries from Hull and Hingham, Gould said.

“If the ferry is full coming to Hull, then they probably left people at the dock in Hingham. You’d think by now that the MBTA would have experimented with making adjustments, especially since they changed contractors two years ago,” he said.

Town Manager Jennifer Constable said the town would pressure the transit agency to correct the problem, especially since Hull is considered an MBTA Community.

“The town will be discussing the capacity issues, in earnest, with both the operators and the MBTA,” Constable said this week. “The town has continuously noted the increase in seasonal ridership and the need to provide adequate services to the community. When riders are turned away due to capacity issues, that is neither reliable nor acceptable service to a an MBTA Community. Hull already struggles with limited service and service line disconnects.”

Meschino said her office reached out to the MBTA early last week to alert them that when the midday ferry runs arrive in Hull from Hingham, the ferry is already at maximum capacity.

Her office also asked the MBTA to formulate a plan to meet service demand fairly for riders from both towns in the final weeks before weekend ferry service ends on Oct. 10.

“Further, we urged the MBTA to look at this summer’s strong ferry ridership as a testament to the growing service demand and when planning for next season, to increase the weekend ferry service frequency in response to this season’s demand,” Meschino said.

The MBTA’s office for rider engagement is accepting comments on upcoming seasonal service changes, including the seasonal weekend ferry.

“We encourage people to use this open comment period to tell the MBTA how much Hull residents value the weekend service, to share their individual experiences, and to request additional weekend service for Hull/Hingham (F2 Run) next year,” Meschino said.

According to the MBTA, changes will be or have been made to bus, subway, and ferry services. Service for The Ride will remain the same. Commuter rail service changes will go into effect in October. Details on those changes will be available in September.

Bus and subway changes went into effect Aug. 27, while ferry changes will start Oct. 10. More information is available at www.mbta.com/service-changes/fall-2023-service-changes.

In addition, the MBTA is doing a significant amount of work along the Old Colony Line, which is directly impacting Greenbush connections.

“We asked the MBTA to consider allowing Greenbush riders to use their commuter rail monthly pass on the weekday ferry during construction delays along that main line,” Meschino said. “We argue that a Greenbush rider who buys a Zone 4 pass should be able to use an alternate transit mode such as the Hingham ferry during construction. Unfortunately, commuter rail passes are not currently honored on the ferry.”

Do you have an opinion on this issue? Click here to write a Letter to the Editor.